Opinion: Home is where the heart is

TORN: Kim Richards says she can't leave her family home on Ngongotaha Rd, despite cars having a history of losing control and crashing through her front fence. PHOTO/FILE

Growing up, we lived on a farm south of Timaru right on the main road.

While we had the tranquillity of farm life, we also had the noise of the traffic with cars and trucks constantly zooming past our front gate only metres away at 100km/h.

We also lived opposite a turnoff, which meant cars were trying to negotiate the busy traffic while turning down a side road.

As a child, I got good at ringing emergency services whenever there was a crash.

I remember one neighbour lost a leg in a serious crash right outside our house. Mum and Dad did the usual thing and ran to help while my brother and I called an ambulance.

On another night, my mother saved the life of a motorcyclist. He had broken down nearby and knocked on our to get help.

Being the kind-hearted woman she is, Mum rang for help. Dad wasn't home but in those days we didn't seem to worry too much about strangers knocking on our door.

As he was walking back to his motorbike in the dark to wait for help to arrive, he was hit by a truck.

Again, our family sprung into action: mum held his body together while us kids rang emergency services.

Yes, it was traumatic living at our place and sometimes a bit scary, but we would never think of moving. That was our family home.

Much like Ngongotaha woman Kim Richards.

She loves her home, it's full of memories but more importantly, it is a family home.

It's also a home she lives in with constant fear as motorists often lose control on a bend on Ngongotaha Rd and crash through her front fence.

It happened again on Saturday morning, leaving her and her neighbours traumatised and her neighbours' children screaming in fear.

All she is asking for is more lighting on Ngongotaha Rd and for the New Zealand Transport Agency to take a closer look at this corner.

There's been enough warnings from Mrs Richards and her neighbours now.

It's time authorities took action.

It's not much fun constantly ringing emergency services for help and being grateful this time no one died.